Education News Today : Higher educational institutions will soon be able to offer undergraduate (UG) students the option of shortening or extending the duration of courses, according to UGC Chairman Jagdish Kumar. The University Grants Commission (UGC) in a meeting this week approved the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for higher educational institutions to offer accelerated degree programs (ADP) and extended degree programs (EDP).

UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar said the draft norms will now be made public for feedback from stakeholders.

The duration of the degree will be mentioned in it

Kumar said the degrees will mention shortening or extension of the duration of the courses and these degrees will be treated as equivalent to fixed-duration degrees for further studies or jobs.

Kumar told PTI, "Students can use this option to shorten or extend their study period depending on their learning abilities. Under ADP ( Accelerated Degree Program ), students will get the option to complete a three-year or four-year course in less time by earning additional credits per semester, while in EDP, there will be an option to increase the duration of the course by earning fewer credits per semester."